Cupertino residents fear traffic boom from Apple Campus 2

Hewlett Packard's office complex facilities at the corner of Pruneridge Avenue and Wolfe Road, the site of Apple's future headquarters, in Cupertino, Calif. on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News)

Not everyone is thrilled at the prospect of living next to one of the biggest buildings in the Bay Area, as residents from three cities told Cupertino officials Thursday that Apple's plan for a second mega-campus may simply be too big and busy.

About 100 residents packed a meeting room for the first hearing on Apple Campus 2, the tech giant's campus sequel planned in east Cupertino at the border of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. Others watched live online or submitted questions ahead of time, eager to make their voices heard before city planners and consultants start digging through the largest development proposal in Cupertino's history.

As with most gigantic projects in the suburbs, residents are most worried that the doughnut-shaped, 2.8 million-square-foot headquarters will bring too many cars, slowing traffic in their neighborhoods and on Interstate 280. Some even suggested a new "Apple exit" from the freeway.

"Traffic is at the top of our list. (Interstate) 280 is a tragedy now, this isn't going to get any better," said Cupertino resident Tom Dyer. "We're also concerned about public access to what will be Cupertino's Taj Mahal, with people from all over the world coming to visit it."

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Other concerns that emerged during the 90-minute meeting dealt with the size of the project. Residents noted that the 13,000 employees at the site will need parking spaces and housing units, visitors will need hotel lodging, and the campus may create too much noise. They also said that the three-year construction period will cause headaches, and that local schools would have to make room for employees' kids.

"Our schools may have to go to two stories, because we have limited room," said Cupertino resident Homer Tong, who sits on the board that oversees the local high school district, where Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak graduated. "Maybe we need some (financial) help from Apple."

Despite the concerns, it's unlikely the expanding company would scale back their plans. "The fact is, we're growing like a weed," said Apple's project manager, Terry Reagan. "We need the space."

Although the meeting was designed to draw out the negative impacts of the project, some residents think the economic boon that the city will gain from the project outweighs any pains the campus could create. It was the first public discussion on the project since Jobs unveiled plans for the 176-acre campus at Homestead and Wolfe roads at a council meeting in June. City officials asked residents to dish out their concerns about the project, with the goal of working through those fears in the planning process.

Even with the debate over the smaller elements of the project, the overall question of whether the city will approve the development appears to carry little drama, considering Apple's deep pockets and council members' strong support for the plan.

The hearing was just the start of a yearlong planning process. Apple wants city approval in time to start construction in late 2012, so it can open the building in 2015.